event detailsposted by: Join The Impact begins: Nov 15, 1:30 pm ends: Nov 15, 2:30 pm location: Philadelphia City Hall |
I’m sure all would agree that with the election of Barack Obama, this week
has been one of amazing wins in the world of equality! Still,
Tuesday night was one of bittersweet celebration, as we came together
to witness the first black man who will become our president, and
watched in sadness as Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, and California all
voted down equal rights for all citizens. Pundits and bloggers
alike have put their focus on Proposition 8, trying hard to find an
explanation for the anti-gay wins in the face of a huge pro-equality
event. Some have blamed the voters, others blame religious
groups, and even others blame the LGBTQ community for not being able to
mobilize on a larger enough scale. And you know what, there is
truth in every argument.
As a community, we have to admit to the fact that we are polarized
in various ways. Honestly, I’m not sure what community isn’t and
I believe that our polarization is proof to our humanity - we are no
different than anyone else, regardless of color, creed, or sexual
orientation. Still, our polarization has hindered us from
mobalizing as one strong voice. We all come together in the month
of June to celebrate Gay Pride, but few of us are even aware of why Gay
Pride exists. Gay Pride is a celebration to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969.
Many say that the Gay Rights Movement began in 1969, which means that
we are still a young movement and have accomplished a great deal in
such a short amount of time. The generation that fought for us in
1969 deserves our gratitude and respect. This is a generation of
amazing people who fought for our ability to hold hands in the street,
to speak out against hate, to dance to our own “thumpa thump”, witness
television shows with a queer cast, and come together in the streets
celebrating for an entire month! This is the generation that
opened the doors for us to even have a conversation about gay marriage,
and this is the generation that deserves our help and our voices
now. On June 27th, 1969, this generation came together in
protest, jumping from closets, taking to the streets, and mobilizing in
ways this country had never seen before! And what happened?
The country was forced to respond. The Queer identity was forced
onto the front pages and coffee tables of people’s worlds and people
had to once and for all accept that we are human too!
Now, almost 40 years later we NEED to come together again. We
need to show this nation that we are ONE LOUD VOICE THAT DEMANDS TO BE
HEARD! We need to be one organized unit. Our gay pride shouldn’t
be something we celebrate one month out of the year. Our
gratitude towards the ones who came before us shouldn’t be ignored and
wasted away with one party after another. We beg to be given a
right that requires responsibility and commitment, yet we, as one
strong community, have not proven to this nation that we deserve to be
taken seriously! The gay pride parade has become a great party,
but it has lost the memory of Stonewall and therefor given the nation
another reason to cast us aside as irresponsible. It’s time we
come together for debate, for public recognition, and for LOVE!
Let’s move as one full unit, on the same day, at the same hour, and
let’s show the United States of America that we too are UNITED CITIZENS
EQAUL IN MIND, BODY, SPIRIT AND DESERVING OF FULL EQUALITY UNDER THE
LAW!
On the steps of City Hall on November 15th at 1:30pm, our community WILL take to the streets and speak out against Proposition 8 and all of the other pro-equality losses that we have faced in our lifetimes, in our parents’ lifetimes, and for many
generations before us. WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE! WE NEED YOUR
HELP! We need organizers in every major city to work with us and
get out the protest! I know you’re all tired from all of the work
you’ve done for this great election year, but I’m asking for one more
push! Let the country hear our voices together. Let them
see that we are a strong, adamant, and powerful community that deserves
equal rights, and CAN’T BE DEFEATED!
Send this post to everyone! We have one week and must react to
the pro-hate votes cast against us! Let’s help our LGBTQ friends,
families, neighbors, and each other to IMPACT this country with a
demand for our basic human rights! Join the cause, join the
voice, and JOIN THE IMPACT!
http://jointheimpact.com/protest-locations/
.jpg)
Comments
Correction
Submitted by Correction (not verified) on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 8:49amThe protest will be held at 1:30 p.m., not 12:30 p.m. Sorry for the miscommunication! It was entered correctly but there was a computer glitch that rolled back the time -- Daylight Savings, perhaps?
Did anyone get a permit for this?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 7:43amDon't want to rain on anyone's parade here, but has someone even bothered to apply for a permit for this event? If not, then someone better do it pretty quickly, for it's required to do so in Philly as a number of groups have found in the past.
Solidarity is one thing, but after all of the head-busting that went on recently in Los Angeles with their protests, one might wonder about wanting to step in harm's way if there's going to be a lot of screaming activism going on. Remember that the Philadelphia Police are a bit testy these days due to the fact that they've had a record number of fallen officers and have now been hit with some rather severe budget and pay cuts.
In other words, get a permit if you haven't already done so, and don't be in-your-face confrontational with law enforcement personnel. Being a martyr won't help the cause one single bit!
Permit
Submitted by Brandi Fitzgerald (not verified) on Fri, 11/14/2008 - 2:08pmFeel free to look up the website for my contact information and I am happy to answer ANY questions you may have. :)
Yes, we do have a permit for this event and we hope you attend. This has been organized and will not be a free for all. We want a loving peaceful protest. Thank you for posting!
Post new comment